If we want the world to choose London for financial services, we need to get better at rolling out the red carpet and signposting investors to everything London has to offer, says Susan Langley

In my last column, I talked about getting ready for the first ever Lady Mayor’s Banquet. With these big set-piece moments in the City, you rehearse, you plan, you prepare – but when you finally get there, it feels even more special. As someone born within the sound of Bow Bells, standing in Guildhall that evening, with the sound of state trumpets echoing off the walls, I was really reminded just how amazing and welcoming this City can be.

If one banquet wasn’t special enough, we also hosted President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany, alongside the Princess Royal: marking the first German state visit to the UK for over 27 years.

These events are founded on centuries of tradition and history, but they celebrate innovation, evolution and friendship too. Tradition and modernity are never mutually exclusive, they make us who we are and........

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